In Support of Arab Democracy: Why and How
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
In Support of Arab Democracy: Why and How 85965$CHFM 06-28-05 07:56:41 CFR 85965$CHFM 06-28-05 07:56:41 CFR In Support of Arab Democracy: Why and How Report of an Independent Task Force Sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations 85965$CHFM 06-28-05 07:56:41 CFR Founded in 1921, the Council on Foreign Relations is an independent, national membership organization and a nonpartisan center for scholars dedicated to producing and disseminating ideas so that individual and corporate members, as well as policymakers, journalists, students, and interested citizens in the United States and other countries, can better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other governments. The Council does this by convening meetings; conducting a wide-ranging Studies program; publish- ing Foreign Affairs, the preeminent journal covering international affairs and U.S. foreign policy; maintaining a diverse membership; sponsoring Independent Task Forces; and providing up- to-date information about the world and U.S. foreign policy on the Council’s website, www.cfr.org. THE COUNCIL TAKES NO INSTITUTIONAL POSITION ON POLICY ISSUES AND HAS NO AFFILIATION WITH THE U.S.GOVERNMENT. ALLSTATEMENTS OF FACT AND EXPRESSIONS OF OPINION CONTAINED IN ITS PUBLICA- TIONS ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE AUTHOR OR AUTHORS. The Council will sponsor an Independent Task Force when (1) an issue of current and critical importance to U.S. foreign policy arises, and (2) it seems that a group diverse in backgrounds and perspectives may, nonetheless, be able to reach a meaningful consensus on a policy through private and nonpartisan deliberations. Typically, a Task Force meets between two and five times over a brief period to ensure the relevance of its work. Upon reaching a conclusion, a Task Force issues a report, and the Council publishes its text and posts it on the Council website. Task Force reports reflect a strong and meaningful policy consensus, with Task Force members endorsing the general policy thrust and judgments reached by the group, though not necessarily every finding and recommendation. Task Force members who join the consensus may submit additional or dissenting views, which are included in the final report. ‘‘Chairman’s Reports’’ are signed by Task Force chairs only and are usually preceded or followed by full Task Force reports. Upon reaching a conclusion, a Task Force may also ask individuals who were not members of the Task Force to associate themselves with the Task Force report to enhance its impact. All Task Force reports ‘‘benchmark’’ their findings against current administration policy in order to make explicit areas of agreement and disagreement. The Task Force is solely responsible for its report. The Council takes no institutional position. For further information about the Council or this Task Force, please write to the Council on Foreign Relations, 58 East 68th Street, New York, NY 10021, or call the Director of Communications at 212-434-9400. Visit our website at www.cfr.org. Copyright © 2005 by the Council on Foreign Relations,Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This report may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form beyond the reproduction permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law Act (17 U.S.C. Sections 107 and 108) and excerpts by reviewers for the public press, without express written permission from the Council on Foreign Relations. For information, write to the Publications Office, Council on Foreign Relations, 58 East 68th Street, New York, NY 10021. 85965$CHFM 06-28-05 07:56:41 CFR Task Force Co-Chairs Madeleine K. Albright Vin Weber Project Director Steven A. Cook 85965$CHFM 06-28-05 07:56:41 CFR 85965$CHFM 06-28-05 07:56:41 CFR Task Force Members Feisal Abdul Rauf Amy W. Hawthorne Khaled M. Abou El Fadl Robert J. Katz Odeh F. Aburdene* Mel Levine Madeleine K. Albright Abdeslam E. Maghraoui Nancy Birdsall Joshua Muravchik Daniel M. Brumberg Michael N. Pocalyko* Leslie Campbell William A. Rugh* Steven A. Cook Anita Sharma Larry J. Diamond George Vradenburg III Michele D. Dunne* Vin Weber Noah Feldman Tamara Cofman Wittes F. Gregory Gause III* Tarik M. Yousef *The individual has endorsed the report and submitted an additional or a dissenting view. 85965$CHFM 07-06-05 11:04:55 CFR 85965$CHFM 06-28-05 07:56:41 CFR Arab Interlocutors Cairo, Egypt January 26–28, 2005 Fahd bin Abdullah Osama al-Ghazali Harb al-Mubarak Al-Siyassa Al-Dawliya Malaz Financial Advisory Egypt Saudi Arabia Ahmad E. Bishara Taher S. Helmy National Democratic Movement American Chamber of Commerce Kuwait Egypt Rola Dashti Sa’eda Kilani Kuwait Economic Society Arab Archives Institute Kuwait Jordan Abdel Raouf El Reedy Habib C. Malik Mubarak Public Library Lebanese American University Egypt Lebanon Munira Fakhro Hala Mustafa University of Bahrain al-Dimoqratiya Bahrain Egypt Mustafa B. Hamarneh Abdulaziz Sager University of Jordan Gulf Research Center Jordan United Arab Emirates Note: The Arab interlocutors from the Cairo consultations are not responsible for the content of this report. They participated in their individual and not institutional capacities. 85965$CHFM 07-06-05 11:05:41 CFR 85965$CHFM 06-28-05 07:56:41 CFR Contents Foreword xiii Acknowledgments xv Map of the Arab World xvii Task Force Report 1 Executive Summary 3 Introduction 10 The Arab World: Politics, Economics, Media, and Education 16 Current U.S. Approaches to Promoting Democracy: How Effective? 36 Conclusion 43 Additional or Dissenting Views 45 Task Force Members 49 Task Force Observers 55 Appendixes 57 85965$CHFM 07-06-05 11:06:05 CFR 85965$CHFM 06-28-05 07:56:41 CFR Foreword Over the past five decades, U.S. policy in the Arab world has been predicated largely on the notion that the political status quo in the region best served Washington’s interests. With the assistance of Arab partners such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Morocco, the United States built a remarkably good record of achieving its objectives—notably, protecting the free flow of oil from the Persian Gulf, ensuring Israel’s security, confronting rogue states, battling terror- ism, and during the Cold War, containing Soviet influence in the region. Yet the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, DC, on September 11, 2001, challenged the underlying assumption of U.S. Middle East policy. Within a short time after the attacks, policymakers began to question whether authoritarian political systems in the Middle East were sources of stability or the primary causes of the political alienation and extremism that fueled organizations like al-Qaeda. The Bush administration clearly believes the best way to ‘‘drain the swamp’’ that produces terrorists is to promote democracy and reform more broadly in the Middle East. The Council on Foreign Relations established this Independent Task Force to consider whether promoting democracy in the Middle East is in the bestinterests of the United States and, if so, howWashington should implement such a policy. The Task Force reached the conclusion that, notwithstanding short-term risks, democracy in the Middle East is a desirable goal. In its report, the Task Force asserts that over the long run, the development of democratic institutions in Arab countries xiii 85965$CHFM 06-28-05 07:56:41 CFR xiv In Support of Arab Democracy: Why and How ‘‘will diminish the appeal of extremism and terrorism, the risks of revolutionary upheaval, and the emergence of regimes openly hostile to the United States.’’ From these important findings this Task Force report offers a comprehensive set of policy recommendations for the Bush administration to promote an ‘‘environment in the Middle East that is conducive to peaceful democratic change.’’ The Council is deeply appreciative of two eminent public servants, former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and former Represen- tative Vin Weber (R-MN), for chairing this effort. Their intellectual leadership steered the Task Force toward consensus on an issue of significant importance to the United States and the Arab world. My thanks also go to Steven A. Cook, a next generation fellow at the Council who specializes in Arab politics, who skillfully directed this project from its beginning. Finally, I wish to thank the Task Force members for this important contribution to the national debate. Richard N. Haass President Council on Foreign Relations June 2005 85965$CHFM 06-28-05 07:56:41 CFR Acknowledgments The Independent Task Force on U.S. Policy toward Reform in the Arab World is grateful for the leadership of the co-chairs, Madeleine K. Albright andVin Weber. Their intellectual leadership,broadexperience, and bipartisan spirit were the invaluable foundations upon which this project was developed. From September 2004 to February 2005, Task Force members and observers participated in seven meetings held at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, DC, and New York, as well as at the offices of Monticello Capital in Reston, Virginia. This diverse group of regional specialists, business leaders, foreign policy practitioners, and representa- tives of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) brought unrivalled expertise to the challenges and opportunities confronting the United States and the Arab world. This Task Force benefited immensely from the input of a group of Arab interlocutors from across the region who spent three days with the co-chairs and me in Cairo in late January 2005. We appreciate their time and pointed critique on the substance of our report. We are also grateful to the Council’s national members in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, and Chicago for their helpful comments on various drafts of the report. The co-chairs and I are grateful to Kareem Idriss, Task Force research associate, for his constant resourcefulness and energy, his deft diplomacy throughout our Cairo consultations, and his editorial and substantial contributions and close attention to Arab sensitivities throughout the xv 85965$CHFM 06-28-05 07:56:41 CFR xvi In Support of Arab Democracy: Why and How drafting of this report.